Fresh Fruits for the Fourth

So many of the traditional BBQ recipes are so heavy and filling, I try to serve some light & fresh side dishes to balance out the menu. This fruit salad from EatBetterAmerica will be just perfect!




Pineapple-Berry Salad with Honey-Mint Dressing

Honey and mint jazz up this quick-to-make berry and pineapple fruit salad with fresh tropical flavors!

Prep Time:15 min
Start to Finish:15 min
makes:4 servings (3/4 cup each)

3 tablespoons frozen (thawed) lemonade concentrate
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into chunks (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup fresh raspberries
1/4 cup sliced fresh strawberries

1. In 1-cup measuring cup, mix lemonade concentrate, honey and mint.

2. In large bowl, gently stir together remaining ingredients. Stir in lemonade mixture until fruits are coated. Serve immediately, or refrigerate up to 4 hours.

Nutritional Information:
1 Serving: Calories 110 (Calories from Fat 15); Total Fat 17g (Saturated Fat 0g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 650mg; Total Carbohydrate 21g (Dietary Fiber 3g, Sugars 8g); Protein 14g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 70%; Calcium 0%; Iron 20% Exchanges: 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable Carbohydrate Choices: 2


And while you have the fruit & mint out, how about a lightened up Mojito?



Blueberry Mojito

4 lemon wedges
4 lime wedges
16 blueberries
20 mint leaves
Crushed ice
1 ounce fresh lime juice
2 ounces fresh lemon juice
8 ounces of your favorite rum (aged)
4 ounces cold water
1/4 Cup + 2 tsp of Truvia® natural sweetener spoonable*

* or 16 packets of Truvia® natural sweetener

Instructions

In a cocktail shaker muddle the blueberries, mint leaves and lemon- lime wedges. Add the crushed ice, lemon and lime juice and Truvia® natural sweetener and shake well. Stain over cubed or crushed ice and garnish with lemon wedge and mint sprig.

Serves 4, 6 oz serving

Nutrition Facts per serving:

Calories 150; Total Fat, 0g; Saturated Fat, 0g; Trans Fat, 0g; Cholesterol, 0mg; Sodium, 0mg; Total Carbohydrate, 17g; Dietary Fiber, 0g; Sugars, 1g; Erythritol, 14g: Protein, 0g; Vitamin A, 0% DV; Vitamin C, 20% DV; Calcium, 0% DV; Iron, 0% DV.

Rapunzel~

30 Days of Photos: Day 30

30 Days of Photos, Day 30: A picture of someone you miss




Rhiannon, whom I haven't seen in much too long..we are long overdue for some girlfriend time xoxox

Blessings,

Rapunzel~

Countdown to the 4th

Do you all have any Independence Day plans yet? We intend to celebrate the 4th of July as we always do: at home, poolside, with family and friends. I've already begun planning and shopping for the menu so thought I'd share recipes with you as we go along.

I've been making this bean salad recipe since I first discovered it in a Vegetarian Times magazine, circa August 1996. It's been toted along to more potlucks and family gatherings than any other dish, is popular with meat-eaters and vegetarians alike.





Stay tuned, I'll be posting at least one holiday recipe per day as I firm up my Independence Day menu!

Enjoy!

Rapunzel~

30 Days of Photos: Day 29

30 Days of Photos, Day 28: A picture that can always make you smile


Lily & Bambi ~ Summer of 1993

Still to Come...

30. A picture of someone you miss

Rapunzel~

30 Days of Photos: Day 28

30 Days of Photos, Day 28: A picture of something you're afraid of


Photo courtesy of Urbanplanet.org

I once suffered greatly from anxiety, depression and mild OCD, treated with therapy and medication for most of my 30's. Miraculously, once I got divorced and reunited with Beren, most of the symptoms disappeared or at least regressed to a manageable level. I've been off the medication for 7 years now and though I still have my therapist on speed dial, I haven't had to visit him for a long time. However, I have not yet been able to conquer one of the major anxiety and panic-attack provoking situations: driving on highways, especially over bridges. Because I live in a fairly urban area, it's difficult to avoid the highway so sometimes I have to hop on one, but only during the day, and never over bridges or overpasses. As hard as I try, I just can't do it. Maybe someday I'll slay that particular demon, but for now I'll keep my feet, and my wheels, on the ground.


Still to Come...

29. A picture that can always make you smile

30. A picture of someone you miss

Rapunzel~

A Morning in the Country

Beren and I took a little drive to the "country" this morning, visited a Farm Swap about 30 miles away. I was really excited about the prospect of fresh produce and eggs and wasn't disappointed!









We came home with some lovely food and a renewed determination to return to my mostly-vegetarian lifestyle. After seeing the adorable chickens & pigs, how could I come home and eat them? *shudder*

Menu Plan Monday

Good morning! I took the day off from work, just needed a day to get some stuff done around the house as well as rest and re-group. I'm spending this morning with house chores and a few errands, then the afternoon is reserved for beauty appointments. *smile*

I'm participating with Orgjunkie.com this week, be sure to pop over to her site for more great menu ideas!

Meatless Monday:Baked Penne (substituting veggie crumbles for the beef)
Taco Tuesday: Burritos
Weight Watchin' Wednesday: Hungry Girl's Mac & Cheese
Thrifty Thursday: Spicy Black Beans & Rice
Fun Friday: Out to dinner for Bambi's Birthday!
Simple Saturday: Fish & "Chips" (Beren will be having the real (fried) deal)
Slow Mo Sunday: Slow Cooker Pot Roast (for the carnivores) Very Veggie Stew for the vegetarians (yes, I do have two crockpots..three, actually..*grin*

Have a wonderful day!

xoxoxox

Rapunzel~

On My Hearth: Last Minute Chicken Fajitas

This is an older Weight Watchers recipe using the former POINTS system so if you follow that program, you may want to plug this into your Recipe Builder to determine Points Plus. I had fresh peppers on hand so I used them instead of frozen, also topped the finished fajitas with a little bit of fat-free sour cream...sloppy & spicy and oh-so-delicious!!

Last Minute Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients:
Cooking Spray
1 pound skinless chicken breast tenders, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon Fajita seasoning
1 (16-ounce) package frozen bell pepper stir-fry (such as Birds Eye)
8 (6-inch) flour tortillas
1/2 cup (2 ounces) reduced-fat shredded Cheddar cheese
Salsa (optional)

Directions:
1. Place a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add chicken and seasoning; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add bell-pepper stir fry; stir-fry 2 minutes or until chicken is done.

2. Warm tortilla according to package directions. Spoon 1/2 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon cheese.

Roll up. Top with salsa, if desired.


Yields 4 servings (serving size: 2 fajitas)

Enjoy!

Rapunzel~

On My Hearth: Sausage & Peppers Pizza

This is an older recipe with the former POINTS but if you're on Weight Watchers you could easily convert it using the Recipe Builder. I used vegetarian sausage patties, a little less cheese and a few more peppers & onions atop a thin crust to cut down on the calories. It was delicious and very filling!


Photo courtesy of Weight Watchers

Sausage and Peppers Pizza

Ingredients:
Cooking Spray
6 ounces 97% fat-free breakfast sausage
1 (8-oz) jar pizza sauce
2 (10-oz) packages Italian-cheese-flavored pizza crust (such as Boboli)
2 cups yellow, red, and green bell pepper strips (about 1-1/2 medium)
1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook until meat is browned, stirring to crumble. Drain well. Stir in pizza sauce.

Spread ¼ cup meat mixture over each crust; top each with ½ cup bell pepper strips sprinkle each with ¼ cup cheese. Bake immediately or allow to cool, then wrap tightly in foil and freeze.

To bake immediately, preheat oven to 425.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese melts. Yields: 8 servings (serving size, ½ pizza)

POINTS 5. Per serving: 228 calories, 27.6 Carbohydrates, 5.9g Fat, 0.5g Fiber, 13.3g Protein, 19mg Cholesterol, 643mg Sodium, 251mg Calcium. 1.9mg Iron.

Enjoy!

Rapunzel~

Thrifty Thursday: Deal of the Day

I stopped at a local Publix on the way to my hair appointment this afternoon, grabbed some non-perishable deals:



4 bottles Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce (BOGO + manufacturer coupon)
2 Suave body wash (BOGO coupon + Publix coupon)
8 boxes Ronzoni Healthy Harvest and Garden Delight pasta (BOGO + manufacturer coupon)
2 bottles One-a-Day vitamins (25% off + manufacturer coupon)
14 boxes Cheerios cereal ((BOGO + manufacturer coupon)
6 boxes Fiber One cereal ((BOGO + manufacturer coupon)
1 package California Roll ('cause the shopper was hungry!)

Manufacturers Coupons: $22.50
Store Coupons: $ .55
Publix Special PriceSavings: $61.34

Total Savings: $84.39

Total Due: $58.19



Not bad! I won't have to buy cereal for a year, and am able to "gift" Kali with some for her house. *smile* Thanks to Hungry Girl and her delicious recipes, I go through a lot of Fiber One and it rarely goes on sale for this price, am really pleased with that deal.

Saving money is FUN!

On My Hearth: Meat-Lovers Pasta

There was a slight change of menu for last night since I didn't have all of the ingredients for the Thai-Style Shrimp (how did I run out of Better'n Peanut Butter?). That recipe will wait for another day but in the meantime I decided to use what I have on hand. I tweaked this Hungry Girl recipe, substituting some veggie Italian Sausage links that have been languishing in the back of my freezer. They are a bit higher in fat/calories than I like but they taste soooo good, totally worth it! Besides, do you know how much a traditional plate of spaghetti & meat sauce will "cost" you, nutrition wise? Yikes! I'll stick to my version, thank you very much.

"Meat"-Lovers Pasta



PointsPlus™ Value: 8
Servings: 1

Ingredients
1 serving(s) House Foods Tofu Shirataki noodle substitute (any shape)
1/2 cup(s) meatless soy crumbles
1/3 cup(s) shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup(s) Prego Heart smart traditional Italian sauce
1 link(s) Morningstar Farms® Veggie Italian style sausage

Instructions
Drain and rinse noodles; pat dry. Microwave for 1 minute, then pat dry again (the more water you soak up, the better the end result). Set noodles aside. Prepare sausage link on stovetop with nonstick spray and set aside. In skillet, heat Boca Ground Burger for approximately 3 minutes. Cut sausage into bite-sized pieces. Combine sausage, Boca meat, noodles, sauce and cheese, and mix well. Microwave entire dish for one additional minute.

Enjoy!

Rapunzel~

30 Days of Photos: Day 27

30 Days of Photos, Day 27: A picture of yourself and a family member



This is me with my maternal grandmother, taken on my 3rd birthday. I'm not sure if you can tell from the photo, but she was actually riding the trike with me. Along with her crazy hat made from pond fronds, it's obvious that she was a fun-loving lady, huh? I'm actually named after her, though few people know this because I have always gone by my middle name. The story goes that when my mother was pregnant with me she wanted to name me Samantha; my grandmother hated that idea so my mom said, "fine, we'll just name her after you." Done deal. Unfortunately, Grandma was killed in a car accident when I was only 8 years old so I don't have many memories of her. I do recall her jet black hair, red nails & lipstick, and how it felt to sit on her lap. She was a proud woman with a fiery temper, daughter of a Cherokee man and a white woman, quite scandalous for those days. My mother told stories of her Indian Grandpa riding up to their little house in the hills of West Virginia, mounted on a big white horse, coming to pick her up for a visit. Someday I want to trace my ancestry and confirm some of those stories..have always felt very connected to my Cherokee blood..and that of my proud, feisty grandmother. I'm honored to be her namesake.

Rapunzel~

Still to Come...

28. A picture of something your afraid of

29. A picture that can always make you smile

30. A picture of someone you miss

Rapunzel~